Keep Hangin' On
by Reginna Grace
Summary: When new couple Mori and Haruhi finally decide to come out of the closet with their relationship, things in the Host Club quickly begin to go downhill. Tension is high for the first few days until a true disaster erupts. When Hikaru goes so far as to kissing Haruhi, Mori's finally had enough. Drabble-ish and mature, but not the sexual kind.
1. Notes and Summary

_Dear Princess, know you not your own true evil?_

 _The clock has long since stopped ticking._

 _Woe, woe! The carriage will never turn its wheels again._

 _Your face split in half, tearing down the pumpkin's fleshy fibres._

 _Oh, sacred fruit! It is infested with maggots. Its seeds cannot flourish._

 _How much harder is it to straighten the windy spokes than to fashion a new carriage?_

 _Dear Princess, know you not your own true evil?_

 _Delay no further the witching hour,_

 _Let the clock tick again._

When new couple Mori and Haruhi finally decide to come out of the closet with their relationship, things in the Host Club quickly begin to go downhill. Tension is high for the first few days until a true disaster erupts. When Hikaru goes so far as to kissing Haruhi, Mori's finally had enough. Bonds between the once-inseparable Hosts split apart, causing complete and utter chaos. With the introduction of such a drastic change, old traumas begin to resurface. Have the Hosts finally hit an obstacle too great for them to overcome? Can the newly formed couple stay together under all the pressure? Will anything ever truly be the same?

Much shorter chapters. Much more frequent updates.

Mature, but not the sexual kind.

 **A/N: Hi! I'm back at it again with another OHSHC fic! It's about finished, so it won't really interfere with Surveillance... It's like a happy birthday present to myself, honestly. I really love these guys, and Haruhi and Mori are my favorite ship. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it~**

 **And also, as I said with Surveillance, I am Gracie_Fullbuster, yadda yadda yadda, enjoy the story!**

Posted: November 16, 2017

Updated: November 16, 2017

 _~Reginna Grace_


	2. Prologue

_This story is an experiment._

 _Unlike my other ones, this, I can promise you, will be updated regularly - once a week precisely - because it is already finished._

 _It will be updated so frequently because of the shortness of the chapters-capping off at about a thousand to fifteen hundred words each (two thousand the most), contrary to my usual five to six thousand-word chapters. Not quite a drabble (by my understanding of it), but with the same idea in mind._

 _Also keep in mind that this is my first stab at romance. I like reading romance, so I thought I'd give it a go. In addition to romance, there is quite a bit of drama involved. I had been entertaining the thought of this story for months, and I've finally decided to put it into action for you guys! This is one of my favorite OHSHC ships, so I had a whole lot of fun writing it (Takashi is a really complex character to write)!_

 _Although not intense enough to be considered mature, this work is definitely not meant for younger audiences. I will be attempting to touch upon the sensitive topic of mental instability, however briefly, so, although it won't be much, take care if you have emotional ties with the topic. Otherwise, by all means, feel free to venture forth!_

 _Use that little somethin'-somethin' in the description as a sort of guide, wherein each line is a clue. By the time all chapters are posted, I'll also include clues to my... clues. You don't need to figure it out in order to understand the story, though, so don't fret! ;p_

 _With that being said, I hope you guys enjoy this work!_

 _P.S. By the middle, you should start to notice a pattern with the titles. ;3_

 _P.S.S. I tried to stay super-consistent with the formatting and everything; please let me know if I've missed anything!_

 _P.S.S.S. No more author's notes until the end! :(_

Posted: November 16, 2017

Updated: November 16, 2017

 _~Reginna Grace_


	3. (Un)breakable

_Monday, September 8th_

. . .

 _Kaoru._

"I'm done."

The words the giant spoke pervaded throughout the room with great intensity, shocking the Hosts into silence, and bringing a sudden end to all ongoing chaos. Mouths gaping in silent shock, their stupor was broken only by the slamming of the grandiose wooden door, causing a chain reaction of unfortunate events which led to — well, just read on, why don't you.

"If Takashi's leaving, then I am, too." A voice flatly announced. All semblance of cheer quashed, the short blond made his way out of the room without a moment's pause.

A ginger-haired teen immediately took a step forward, fully intent on following the short senior, when his twin tugged on his wrist, effectively holding him back. "Kaoru, no!"

The boy nearly tripped over his body in surprise. His body swiveled to face his brother, a rare expression of anger slowly beginning to overtake his features as he registered Hikaru's words. "...No? What do you mean, no?"

Taken aback by his twin's uncharacteristic response, Hikaru lashed back in confusion and hurt. "I mean _no!_ It's her own damn fault for being so... _selfish!_ I thought we were her friends!"

Kaoru rounded on his brother with even more vigor, shocking Hikaru with his anger. "Selfish?! She has been nothing but selfless when it came to us and our whims. Even when we dragged her around to do whatever we wanted, she still wanted to be our friend! I can't believe you can still be so insensitive to all that, even after all she's done for us! If anyone's the selfish one, it's _you!_ " The usually more sensible twin hissed, pointing a finger at Hikaru's face before the gravity of his words hit the two.

Hikaru's jaw dropped.

Kaoru's hand wilted, seeing the beginnings of the angry tears he hadn't seen in so long — thanks to her — start to form.

Was he making a horrible mistake?

 _No,_ Kaoru thought. _If Hikaru wants to be selfish all his life, then let him! But I won't let him ruin this... Ruin her...!_

Gritting his teeth, Kaoru disengaged his wrist from his brother's grip with a resounding smack. Before anyone had the chance to react, he turned from his brother and ran, slamming the door shut behind him.

 _Hikaru._

Hikaru's wide amber eyes stared at the door. He was rendered completely immobile by the emotionally violent blow, feeling nothing more than numbness. He dropped to his knees absentmindedly, not even noticing the tears that were already flowing down his cheeks. _Kaoru...?_ He internally pleaded, waiting for his twin to come bursting back through the doors with a smile, laughing it off and telling him that it was all a joke. After another moment of waiting, his eyes widened. _Kaoru is gone. Kaoru left me._ Hikaru then bent over, arms pressed against the floor. _Kaoru left me! Why did Kaoru leave me?!_ He battled internally, completely unaware of the spine-chilling shrieks that he was emitting. Pulling on his hair, Hikaru screamed out his anguish, paralyzing the occupants of the room as if electrifying them. _It's because she left. If she didn't leave, Kaoru wouldn't have left me!_

Just as quickly as they started up, Hikaru's screams died down, the boy quickly beginning to hyperventilate. He fisted his hair even more tightly, fingernails piercing his palms where they weren't blocked by ginger locks. Pounding his head repeatedly, he didn't even notice that he wasn't feeling like himself until his vision began to darken. Ungracefully plummeting to the ground, Hikaru let out one last breathless, betrayal-tinged wail of his brother's name.

 _Kyoya._

The only indication of the teen's surprise was his widened eyes and rigid posture, although surprise seemed more to be some sort of a sick understatement in comparison to what he actually felt. He was actually overwhelmed to the point of paralyzation, not that he'd ever openly admit it. If he'd even have the friends to admit it to after this.

Yes, contrary to popular belief, he, the infamous Shadow King, valued his friends a bit more than he liked to admit, even to himself. And it was those very friendships that were being threatened at the moment. Debatably the worst aspect of the entire debacle was that he, the Kyoya Ootori, had been completely and utterly powerless to stop it.

Oh, and how it hurt.

He had been far too careless. It went without saying that Kyoya had known about the courtship between his two club mates. Heck, he had known since before even they had realized their attractions for each other. Their subtle smiles, much too discreet for oafs such as Tamaki or the twins to detect, had not gone unnoticed by his keen eye. Or the elder Haninozuka's, for that matter, but that was no surprise, given the surprisingly sharp perception ability he had. But, like the sickeningly romantic novels that Haruhi so liked to indulge herself in, neither party involved had picked up on their actions, which had progressed to being nearly coquettish in nature. Why, their attraction was so present, so palpable, it was a damn miracle that no one outside the Host Club had picked up on it. Not that it presently mattered, anyway.

Exactly why he had allowed the relationship to go on so long, unchecked, was unfathomable to Kyoya. And now, he was stuck dealing with the unfortunate aftermath. Perhaps it was out of some small feeling of empathy for the two, of wanting to allow them to enjoy what little they had, for as long as they could? Pfft. What a notion, he refused to accept it. Maybe Tamaki was rubbing off on him a little. Speaking of whom, his best friend was currently shell-shocked, in a far worse state than Kyoya had ever seen him in all their years of friendship.

A small inkling of guilt wormed itself into Kyoya's being. This was all his fault, after all. Surely he could be allowed to feel slightly for his own wrongdoing. For, had only he checked upon the budding couple every so often, planned just a bit better, this could have been prevented. Easily.

There was no doubt in his mind that Tamaki loved the girl, it was impossible not to see. Even Mori knew it, in fact. And that was what he was counting on. For the gentle giant to stay in the background, as always. What he had most definitely not counted on, however, was an outright proclamation of love. It was extremely forward and outrageously out of character for the man, but Kyoya supposed that that was what love did to people. Not that he'd ever had a chance to experience it himself, although some innermost part of him rebelled at the thought. Either way, the damage was done, and the Host Club was in tatters.

Surprisingly enough, Kyoya felt almost no anger at the fact — at least when compared with the absolute lividity that was overtaking him in response to the sorry state that his best friend had been reduced to.

He exhaled heavily, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose in turmoil. His internal strife was doing absolutely nothing for his semi-catatonic friend. The raven-haired teen crouched down to Tamaki's level, fully intent on snapping him awake with some off-handed comment about Haruhi in a pinch with the twins — which, even in the present situation, probably would have worked — had it not been for exactly what Kyoya saw in those violet-blue eyes.


	4. Terminus a Quo

_Thursday, September 4th_

. . .

 _Takashi._

Seeing the entrance to his family's rock garden once again, the giant began to slow. As he approached the magnificent gate, his mind's inner workings began to advance, reminding him of his goal for the day.

 _Today,_ he thought, heart racing in anxiety at the thought. He could feel his muscles beginning to coil and tense at the impending task. As he reached the gate, Takashi felt anything but the calm feeling he had been hoping for upon completion of his morning run. _One more time,_ he huffed, passing the gate.

. . .

Though he stood tall and proud, Takashi was anything but. In fact, he believed that he was more shaken up than he had ever been in his life. He was valiantly fighting off the blush that threatened to form, and it wasn't until he had grappled with it for a few moments before he realized that Haruhi hadn't replied.

Takashi's eyes had never moved from her face, but it was only then that he took a moment to process what he was seeing. Her eyes were widened, lips slightly parted. She looked taken aback, he observed. Takashi blanched. Mitsukuni was wrong. This was a mistake. He closed his eyes in mortification, waiting for the soul-crushing words to hit him.

His eyes flew back open when he felt the warm body of another person hugging him around his waist. Having seldom received hugs (even from his cousin), he fumbled to return the gesture before his brain began to make connections again. Sooner than he could further contemplate his situation, she was speaking.

"Mori-senpai," she began, voice high with embarrassment equal to the level that he currently felt. "I-I've been told that I'm kind of slow on these things..." she paused, gulping and probably internally damning her stutter. "...But I think I might like you, too," she finished at a quiet volume, moving her face from where it was pressed up against his chest to showcase the blush that engulfed her face. It was then that Takashi lost his battle with his, a light red flushing his cheeks with color. Even still, he sighed in utmost relief, his shoulders sagging around her small frame. Blush refusing to recede, he bent down to lightly rest his head on her left shoulder when all tension left his body. Hearing a small squeak at this, Takashi's eyes widened and he pulled back, an apology on the tip of his tongue. Instead of finding a horrified look on Haruhi's face, he saw that the blush had not gone away, but instead spread to the tips of her ears.

She pulled back with her overstuffed bag gripped tightly in her hands, meeting his eyes briefly. "See you tomorrow, Mori-senpai!" She whispered, before scurrying out of the club room and carefully closing the door behind her.

The man stared at the door in shock, hand outstretched towards the whirlwind that had disappeared just moments before. Lowering it slowly, he stuffed both hands in his pockets, cracking a small smile at the exchange, his blush finally deciding to leave his face as his expression switched from one of embarrassment to one of fondness — however slight it seemed to the outside viewer (sans Mitsukuni) — he was still Mori, after all.

 _Mitsukuni._

Hearing the club door slam shut, the short senior smiled even wider than he was presently. He then proceeded to feign an exaggerated yawn, arms stretched out and all.

"I'm tired. I want to go home." He pouted in exaggeration.

"Whaaaaat? But we just started!" Tamaki whined, clutching a tiny silver top hat in his hand.

Honey's face dropped. Before he had even completed the quarter-turn needed to face Tamaki, the older host had already paled and interrupted with a "B-but of course you can go home already, H-ha-he-honey-s-senpai! We can all play Monopoly tomorrow!" He ended with a nervous laugh, to which the twins looked at him questioningly. Turning to see the senior's face, however, they were quick to agree, and the short blond bounded off to his cousin happily.

. . .

The door to the limo had barely shut by the time Honey opened his mouth, mind rife with questions. He stopped himself from asking, though, upon seeing the fond smile on his cousin's face. Adopting a smile of his own, the sage senior decided instead to let the sensitive man adjust to the newness of the situation before pestering him. And pester him, he would.

Sooner than he'd expected, Takashi looked up at him, hints of a smile still left on his face. Honey's face again split into a knowing smile.

"Mitsukuni."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"Mmm-hmm."


	5. Lull

_Friday, September 5th_

 _. . ._

 _Kyoya._

Kyoya carefully closed his laptop. Thoughts prefocused on the events of that day and the one before it, he opted to gaze out at the moving scenery from within his limo and slowly work it out in his mind. Although their attraction to each other was evident, both Haruhi and Mori shared the traits of being extremely private, reserved, and, above all, dedicated to school. Especially in Haruhi's case, it was a risky move - her entire scholarship rode on her performance in school.

Kyoya exhaled quietly and readjusted himself so that his head was resting on the palm of his hand. His grey eyes stared at the passing scenery, unseeing, some small part within the depths of his soul stirring in perplexity and turmoil. However, before long, his face slowly began to relax and he donned a mask of cool indifference.

"Kyoya-sama, we have arrived."

He did not respond at first, eyes shut and face lax. The butler was but a moment away from checking his master's pulse when Kyoya finally opened his eyes. With an exhale of finality, the teen reaffirmed his objectives. Pushing his glasses up with a finger, he addressed the man.

"Tachibana, notify my father that I will not be joining him for dinner this evening."

. . .

 _Takashi._

The man had to remind himself to breathe as he prostrated himself before the redhead. Heart racing to an extent nearly that of the day he had asked Haruhi to become his girlfriend, he awaited an answer, hoping for the best. He almost jumped as he heard the man stand up and walk to another corner of the room. His heart shook at the pensive look he caught in the corner of his eye.

Closing his eyes hard as the man doubled around to stand in front of him, he was caught off guard by the calm voice he heard.

"Sit up."

Takashi's heart caught in his throat as the uncharacteristically wistful smile adorning Ranka's face met his own shaken expression. The older man then proceeded to bow, shocking the Host even further.

"Please take care of my daughter," the man said softly, for once looking fragile, contrary to his usual self. So as not to belittle his humbling gesture, bowed also, though not as deeply.

"Thank you," he earnestly replied.

His girlfriend squeezed his hand comfortingly, looking at him with an _I-told-you-so_ expression on her face. He smiled fondly back.

. . .

Takashi transversed the area of the bookstore quickly to rejoin his girlfriend, who was still immersed in the selection process. As he returned, she touched his arm lightly in greeting, too absorbed to notice Takashi's reaction to the intimate action.

Tapering his blush, the gentle giant smiled at this nevertheless, pleased at the level of comfort she felt around him. Novel and receipt tucked into his jacket pocket, he contently settled on watching the brunette mill about before he'd give her his gift.

. . .

Like a true gentleman, Takashi wrapped his jacket around his small companion's shoulders when the evening drew close and the afternoon far.

"Mori-senpai, what's this?" She patted the protruding pocket questioningly.

Takashi blushed slightly at his blunder, but decided to use the opportunity. "Open it," he encouraged. His face lit up to mirror her reaction to his gift. She bid him thanks enthusiastically before her face changed into a more bashful expression and she laid her head on his arm.

Takashi went completely rigid.

After apologizing frantically and having Haruhi wave off his worries with a laugh, the two lapsed into a comfortable silence, which the latter soon broke.

"When do you suppose we tell them?"

Takashi met her eyes to indicate that he'd heard, before looking up thoughtfully. Haruhi broke his thoughts, cutting in again.

"They're my closest friends, so I don't want to keep it from them too long. It wouldn't feel right."

"Mm." Takashi offered for a reply, garnering a laugh from the brunette. He turned to face her in puzzlement, but she missed his look and continued.

"Does Monday sound good?"

"Yes," he offered, gaining a smile in response. Pleased at this, he smiled as well.

He didn't flinch this time when he felt a small pressure hit his arm.


	6. Discontinuity

_Monday, September 8th_

 _. . ._

 _Hikaru._

Haruhi stood directly in front of him, fisting the bottom of her uniform top nervously. A brilliant blush adorned her face, and he would've teased her about it to no end any other time, had it not been for the words that left her lips mere moments ago.

" _What?_ " He asked incredulously. His heartbeat began to speed up as his brain began to look for answers in her face.

Rather than reply, Haruhi merely buried her face in the arm of the person standing beside her, whose face adopted a slight tinge of red as well in response.

A clap had his attention next. "Now, now, Haruhi, it's not nice to pull a joke like that on your dear father. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Tamaki cut in, causing Haruhi's expression to twist into one of confusion.

"Yeah, Haruhi, it's just a joke, right?" Hikaru echoed, his voice catching, betraying his nervousness.

At that, Haruhi's eyebrows angled down in an expression of anger. "A _joke_? Is that what you think this is? Is that what you take me for? A joker? You really think that I'd go so far as to joke about this sort of thing?!"

Hikaru faltered at this, but Tamaki continued. "Okay, that's enough, Haruhi. If you apologize now, Daddy will forgive you." He beckoned the girl towards him. This only made her angrier. She stepped away from Mori.

"I can't _believe_ you!" She yelled. "It's not a _joke_ , you-"

"Now, Haruhi, I understand that you've been hanging out with those devil twins a lot more recently, but I expect more from you than a childish prank." Tamaki cut in firmly.

At that moment, Hikaru noticed tears beginning to rim her eyelids. _Oh, God_. He thought, it beginning to dawn on him. _It's not a joke_. "Haruhi!" He heard himself say. Suddenly, the brunette's eyes were on him, and he felt his throat constrict. She was crying.

"Haruhi, I..."

The world seemed to stop as the Hosts looked towards him to see what he had to say. He looked at his brother helplessly, but Kaoru looked just as shell-shocked as him.

"You _what_ , Hikaru?" She demanded, her tone venomous.

He swallowed thickly, choking on his words in light of her emotional gaze. "I... Please..."

"Hikaru, please understand," she pleaded, tone dropping to address him. His stomach dropped as he heard these words, and his eyes widened. _No, **you** understand!_ He thought, gut twisting in anger.

"No!" He yelled, angry now. "You can't! You _can't_ , because...!" He threw his hands in the air like a child might.

"Hikaru!" She reacted to his yell, stepping closer to him. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do, I'm not a child!"

"But you _can't_!" He insisted. "You can't leave us, you just can't!" He flailed for a reason. _You're with us! It's... not fair!_

"I'm not leaving, Hikaru, but you sure are making me want to!" She shot back.

"Well you can't because you're _ours!_ " He retaliated. Haruhi's eyes widened. If she looked angry before, it was nothing compared to now. She opened her mouth to reply.

"Haruhi, do remember that you have a debt to pay. It's not your choice whether or not you leave. Please stop being so unreasonable." Tamaki added. Like the straw that broke the camel's back, Haruhi finally screamed.

"I can't _believe_ you rich bastards! I can't believe people can actually be so _selfish_! You only care about yourselves, every one of you! I'm not your propery or your toy! As it is now, I can't even say that I'm your friend, because clearly, none of you know how to treat me like one. I thought you might've been happy for me, but you're all just so... horrible!" She started sobbing.

Mori made a move towards her from across the room, but she was right in front of Hikaru. In a last-ditch attempt, Hikaru lunged and caught her wrist. Before he had even realized what he was doing, he had grabbed the girl to his chest.

Their lips crashed together.

Haruhi froze. He couldn't tell what anyone else in the room was doing, it was only he and Haruhi at that moment. He tasted her tears, felt her small wrists clasped in his hands. He felt her chapped lips and her racing heartbeat through her clothes. He didn't feel her fight him with everything she had. He was on cloud nine.

Moments later, they were ripped apart by large hands. Hikaru had never seen the giant angry, but his expression was like a bucket of ice water, smacking him back into lucidity.

Hikaru stepped backwards in fear, tripping and falling on his tailbone. He looked at Haruhi, who looked more shaken up than he had even realized she was. His gaze slid to his brother, who appeared pale, and looked at him with stunned disdain. Tamaki looked just as disturbed as Haruhi, if not more, although no tears graced his face.

Kyoya's posture was rigid, his glasses slipping down his nose unhindered. Hikaru couldn't even bring himself to look at Honey. So, instead, he looked at Haruhi again. "Haruhi, I-" He almost choked as his efforts to move towards her were effectively ended by Mori, who moved to block her from his view.

When he craned his neck to see her face, Hikaru gasped at the tears that continued to fall. He found himself paralyzed, and watched as Mori moved to comfort his girlfriend. _Girlfriend_. Hikaru balked at the thought.

Haruhi pushed away the arms of her boyfriend, running out the club room in tears.

Like a catalyst, people began shouting over each other, masking the sound of the door closing. The chaos, however, was short-lived, ending with Mori's next words.

"I'm done."

The remaining Hosts were shocked into silence as they watched him leave, slamming the door with a resounding boom.

"If Takashi's leaving, then I am, too." Honey announced, voice flat, before following through with his words.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hikaru noticed his twin take a step in the same direction. Eyes widening, he lunged to stop him, catching his wrist just before it exited his range. "Kaoru, no!"

Kaoru's body swiveled, features awash with rage building as he faced his brother. "...No? What do you mean, no?"

Hikaru shot back after a moment's pause, hurt by his brother's unusual reaction. "I mean _no!_ It's her own damn fault for being so selfish! I thought we were her _friends_!"

Kaoru jabbed a finger in his direction. " _Selfish?!_ She has been nothing _but_ selfless when it came to us and our whims. Even when we dragged her around to do whatever we wanted, she still wanted to be our friend! I can't believe you can still be so insensitive to all that, even after all she's done for us! If anyone's the selfish one, it's _you_!"

Hikaru's jaw dropped.

Kaoru's hand wilted.

Hikaru saw the turmoil in his brother's eyes as he faltered; his own identical gaze portrayed his pleas for his brother to just forgive him, like he always did. He tried to convince himself otherwise when saw the resolve harden in those eyes but, heart sinking, he felt the sting of the slap his brother doled out like no pain he'd ever experienced.

Hikaru watched his brother's retreating back as he followed the path Haruhi had taken moments before. His heart constricted, his stomach lurched, and his vision swam.

He screamed.

. . .

 _Tuesday, September 9th_

 _. . ._

 _Haruhi._

The girl's ears burned as she made her way to her seat. She could feel the stares positioned on her; hear the frantic whispers. Unpacking her books, she forced herself to stare ahead, where the teacher was getting ready to teach, ignorant of the rumors that were flying around at that very moment.

About an hour into the class period, the classroom door opened. Haruhi ignored the distraction, busied writing notes in the margin of her... notes.

After a moment's pause, the teacher addressed the intruder. "Um, Hikaru-san, I'll have to ask you to leave if you make such a disturbance coming to class again like this. Do you have a late pass?"

Haruhi's head snapped up at the teacher's words. Fearing the worst, she met eyes with Kaoru's golden gaze. His eyes were red-rimmed, a strange sight on his usually immaculate image, but otherwise, he looked mostly normal, if not a bit awkward without his doppelgänger, who was nowhere to be found.

"I'm sorry sensei, it won't happen again," he gently replied, forcing a smile and holding up the blue slip. The whispers only intensified as he stepped through the doorway, shockingly alone. Haruhi's throat constricted as she remembered the events of the day prior. She wasn't sure how to react. Kaoru did for her.

After relinquishing his pass, he stepped up to his seat by Haruhi, waving as if nothing had happened. After a few seconds of shock, she waved back, before looking down at her notebook. She wanted to him to shout, to sneer, to whisper something, anything. She wanted to cry. Anything but silence. Being with Kaoru never had been uncomfortable before, but she felt dazed with anxiety. She lifted her head, but found that it would not move. When had she lain it on the table, anyway...?

. . .

 _Takashi_.

The man was the first one out the door when the bell rang. Having heard that Haruhi fainted in class, he wanted to at least visit her before his next class. Utilizing his long legs to the best of his ability (without running), he quickly crossed the courtyard to the medical building.

Once inside, he was about to ask where her room might be, when he heard her voice. He smiled and headed in that direction, but slowed to a stop when he heard another one.

 _Hikaru?_ He faltered right outside the door, seeing red.

"What pumpkin, Kaoru?" He heard Haruhi ask. He stopped his hand about an inch from the door handle.

"It matters to me, Kaoru," she continued. "You're one of my best friends. I'm here for you."

 _Seems like a private moment,_ Mori thought, face slipping back into his carefully crafted mask of indifference. Stepping away from the door, Mori turned to meet his cousin's serious features.

"You have to trust her, Takashi."

He paused at his cousin's appearance, but walked away without another word.


	7. Void

_Wednesday, September 10th_

 _. . ._

 _Kyoya._

The teen sat at a small table by the windows of a quaint pastry shop, waiting for his friend to arrive. He had politely ordered a coffee, but it was quickly cooling, as it had remained untouched for a number of minutes. Having sacrificed precious time for the late afternoon meeting, Kyoya was seconds away from leaving when his blond friend came bustling in.

To Kyoya's trained eyes, Tamaki was clearly disheveled, still strangely dressed in his Ouran uniform despite his usual uptightness about his appearance. His bustling was more muscle memory than anything, and he did not even stop to fluster the female greeter of the shop.

All this served to taper Kyoya's anger at his friend's lateness, and it showed in his warmer-than-normal greeting:

"Tamaki."

"Kyoya," the teen greeted back, taking his seat without much commotion. The two slipped into practiced idle chit-chat until a waitress came over and was shooed away by Tamaki's order. Only when it came did the conversation begin to slow.

" _Mon ami,_ I'd like to talk about Haruhi." Tamaki finally said, lips stretched unnaturally in a frown.

"...Let's take this outside." Tamaki nodded distractedly, placing a bill on the table before following his friend out the door.

. . .

Kyoya slowed to a stop behind Tamaki, who abruptly paused mid-step. Turning to his best friend, Kyoya was unsure of the wide smile that he received.

"So, how are club finances going along, _mon ami?_ " He started casually, heightening Kyoya's suspicions.

"Fine," he answered carefully. "Where are you going with this?"

At this, Tamaki laughed. "Why the look? I'm just curious!" He turned around and began to walk again, much more slowly than before. "How much more does Haruhi owe?" He asked a few moments later.

Kyoya didn't respond.

"Kyoooooya! I only deserve to know about what my daughter is getting herself into!" He whined, eliciting a sigh from his companion.

"Tamaki, you know I can't tell you that." Kyoya regretted the foreboding feeling that came with the lie.

"Sure, you can! You can just-"

"-Tamaki."

The blond froze at the sound of Kyoya's voice. When he turned around to face him, his eyes were glittering.

"Don't let her leave," he cracked, tone flat compared to his earlier cheer.

A pregnant pause passed between them.

"I've been taxing her on every little thing, but in actuality, Haruhi's been debt-free for a while. There's nothing binding her to us anymore." He admitted, not exactly sure why.

"Kyoya-"

"-I was going to tell her yesterday, then today, and now, tomorrow."

"Kyoya, please-"

"-You know I have to."

"You don't!" Tamaki shrilled. "It's not _safe_ for my daughter to leave, not when there are so many people who could take advantage of her! It's not safe, and I won't allow it. As her father, I forbid her to leave this family!"

Kyoya's eyes widened as his friend's breathing sped up-it was clear that he was experiencing a panic attack. "Tamaki, calm down!" He tried, attempting to hold his shoulders, but the blond batted him away violently.

"Tamaki-" Kyoya stopped at the blond's shrill scream. Cursing, he changed tactics and called his driver, who had been parked in the general vicinity. He had arrived within minutes and stepped out at Kyoya's urgent request.

Being an Ootori chauffeur, the old man was, naturally, well trained in the field of medicine and instantly took charge of the situation, carefully goading the panicking teen into the car. Encouraging the boy that everything was fine didn't seem to work, however, as Tamaki continued to hyperventilate.

Seconds later, his head lolled to the side as he lost consciousness from lack of oxygen. Kyoya watched all this in mild disbelief, but was brought back to the present when his chauffeur spoke.

"Kyoya-sama, what would you have me to do now?" He spoke kindly.

Sighing, the exhausted teen replied. "Just take him to the house."

"Very well." The old man rounded the limousine and started towards the central Ootori estate.

Kyoya looked at his blond friend, who seemed distressed even in sleep. In a way, it was just like him, to be as dramatic as possible. With that thought in mind, Kyoya pulled on his usual poker face as he brought his palm up to his face to stare out the window.

 _Kaoru._

"Hikaru-sama, your mother and father are waiting in the dining room to have dinner."

Kaoru failed to react to the maid, rolling his eyes at the misnomer with his back facing her. When she didn't leave, he sent her away with a flick of the wrist and stared at the fading horizon for a moment more before standing and stretching. He had seen neither tail nor hide of his brother since the incident, and was honestly doubting if he'd even returned home. He was ignoring all of his frantic calls and had not come to school that day-Kaoru had even ended up being late looking for him!

As soon as he stepped into the hallway, however, he met eyes with none other than his twin. Hikaru's breath caught, but he gave no other visible response, turning on his heel and walking away. Kaoru fell into step a few paces behind him, intimidated by the thick tension.

When they reached the large room, Hikaru paused at the sight of his mother, likely having not been informed that she had returned. He recovered quickly, delivering a dry greeting which his brother mirrored. Kaoru took his usual seat.

Hikaru did not.

Both parents exchanged a worried glance, but neither son met their gaze.

"So... How's school?" Yuzuha carefully started.

"Fine." Kaoru replied, after an awkward pause where his brother failed to reply. Mentally smacking himself afterwards, he was even more unsettled by his brother's uncharacteristic lack of a response.

"How's that Haruhi girl I keep hearing so much about?" She tried again.

Both twins froze. Hikaru tried to cover it by setting down his glass rather violently, but otherwise remained silent. Kaoru regarded his brother's reaction sadly, before answering his mother with a wry smile. "She's fine, Mom. _Great,_ actually. She-"

"-Just _stop!_ " Hikaru interrupted, face reddened in rage. "Stop acting like you don't feel betrayed by it!"

Yuzuha's jaw dropped. Her husband pushed it back into place.

"Hikaru..." Kaoru regretfully began. "I _don't_. She has all the right in the world to make her own choices, and I'm happy for her."

Hikaru gaped. "You're a _liar!_ "

The younger twin set down his utensils slowly, but tears were already streaming down his face. His lips quivered in anxiety. _I'm not ready._

"She's not allowed to just go off and do whatever she wants, she belongs to _us!_ " Hikaru continued.

Kaoru shook his head slowly. "No, she doesn't, Hikaru. She doesn't belong to anyone."

"She does!" He insisted before changing his point. "And even if she didn't, she can't just do that to us, we're her _friends!_ "

Finally, Kaoru stood. "Yes. Yes. We _are_ her friends. And that's why I'm happy for her. Because as a friend, I want her to know that she has my support. What, did you think that we would be together forever or some crap like that?" He spat out, crushing his own ideals. "One day, she's going to want to get married and have a family, and I think that that's _b-beautiful_ , and we have no right to interfere!" His voice cracked partway, but his point was made.

"Gao-chan, are you angwy?"

All eyes turned to the youngest member of the family. From a young age, Ageha had showed an acute deftness in distinguishing her older brothers from one another and even accurately telling their emotions, much like Haruhi. Kaoru's eyes softened as be gazed upon his sister.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

"Are you angwy?" She persisted.

"No... Just sad," he fabricated, erecting a smile to ease the two-year-old.

"Busshit," she deadpanned, causing her brother to sputter. As he fretted over her interesting choice of words, Hikaru scoffed from where he was, dropping his utensils noisily and abandoning the conversation, leaving the room in silence.

" _Now_ you're sad," Ageha corrected. Kaoru nodded, tears surging down his cheeks.

. . .

 _Kyoya_.

Kyoya turned to meet dulled amethyst eyes at the sound of rustling. He parted his lips to speak, but the bedridden blond beat him to it.

"You can't let her leave." He whispered.

Kyoya sighed. "I have no power over it, Tamaki."

"Sure, you do, you could pull some strings behind the scenes like you normally do, and-"

"-What do you want me to do, threaten her?" Kyoya interjected, annoyed by his friend's irrational desperation.

"You- Well, it's not like you haven't done it before!" Tamaki sputtered.

 _I didn't know her then,_ Kyoya reasoned. Her debt was more a gag than anything else at this point, since he had grown used to Haruhi's constant presence in his life-he would even go out of his way to accommodate her, if the situation was dire enough. He appreciated her sobering character and valued her as a reasonable advisor and friend, even if he would never admit it aloud.

"Yes, and for good reason," he pushed up his glasses, "not for personal pleasure," he added, honestly a bit hurt by the silent accusation.

"There's nothing tying her down to us, and no reason why there should be. I would not betray her trust by waving a nonsensical price over her head." Kyoya shook his head in disappointment. Tamaki was being ridiculous. It was nothing he should've been surprised by, but he was approaching a point that Kyoya knew would be hard to recover from, if broached.

"It's not nonsensical, you _have_ to keep her from leaving!" Tamaki pleaded miserably.

"I don't have to, and I refuse to, Tamaki. Frankly, I'm surprised that you're prioritizing your feelings over hers." _And mine, too, at this point._

Kyoya could feel himself becoming increasingly angry at the immaturity his friend showed. Tamaki had, on occasion, proven himself to be mature. He had earned Kyoya's respect as per his considerate nature, since such a quality was difficult to find among the wealthy. And although they tended to be self-righteous and egotistical, the stark difference in Haruhi's lifestyle had introduced the notion of humbleness to the Hosts, subtly and gradually instilling it into each of them. Somehow, though, this caused Tamaki to almost revert into some lesser form of himself, and it was scary to watch.

"I'm not prioritizing my feelings, and I'm offended you think so! I'm prioritizing _her_ well-being, because it's not appropriate for her to be seeing someone that much older than her, especially at her age! She can _easily_ be taken advantage of, and I refuse to let it happen. I can forgive her for her naïveté, but I can't forgive you." He stated this as if it were pure fact, and it was this straw that broke the camel's back.

Kyoya didn't know whether to be more angry at the fact that Tamaki believed that Mori, of all people, would take advantage of Haruhi or that he had called him naïve. But more than angry, Kyoya was honestly disappointed. His friend's hysteria was just a roundabout way of expressing a lack of trust. There could not be a friendship without trust, as he had learned. And Tamaki had finally gone and proven that he had little of it, thusly forfeiting his relationship with his best friend.

"Tamaki, I can't argue with you anymore. I'm sorry that this had to happen, but I quit." And, truly, he was sorry. But he would've been even sorrier had he allowed Tamaki's delusions to ruin everything.

Kyoya closed the door quietly behind him and sighed darkly.

 _I'm not even sure what 'everything' means,_ he mulled over the seemingly irrelevant thought. He shook his head. _Mori-senpai is a good man,_ he mused, falling deeper and deeper into himself.


	8. Dissolution

_Thursday, September 11th_

 _. . ._

 _Haruhi._

Never before had Haruhi been so reluctant to go to school. Although she could've easily blamed it on the lack of sleep, she knew full well that that wasn't it.

The halls were rife with lively chatter which she tried to convince herself was no different than usual, but the instinctual twisting of her gut seemed to indicate otherwise. She arrived to her class early as usual and forced herself to ignore the swell of noise as she took her seat between two empty chairs.

 _Just put your head down and focus,_ she tried to ignore the whispers. _You have a scholarship to maintain, you didn't come to school for drama._

Why she thought she could get away without having to talk to nosy onlookers, she couldn't fathom, but Haruhi found herself cursing her early bird habits when a classmate timidly called her attention.

"Ha-Haruhi-kun, as I was passing by the Host Club room this morning, I noticed a note that said it was closing until further notice... Is it really true?"

The girl all but froze at the news, despite her intentions of mustering up a natural response. She hadn't quite thought of the repercussions of her actions, and had certainly not been expecting such a drastic action. She pushed down the nausea that came with the revelation. Her response sounded off, even to her own ears. "Unfortunately, it is true that we'll have to remain closed for the foreseeable future, but don't worry yourself about it too much, Princess - we'll be up and running before you even notice it. Excuse me." Haruhi couldn't even stop herself from appearing visibly upset as she collected her books and rose, running for a bathroom as soon as she got out of the classroom.

. . .

 _Kaoru._

The wind ruffling his messy ginger curls was a welcome reprieve against the alcohol-induced heat he had worked himself into. _I'm a man, dammit!_ He thought impassively, gracelessly swiping at his cheeks before he gave up and laid down on the rock beach he had ended up on. _Haruhi... I'm with you, no matter what._

 _. . ._

 _Hikaru._

Hikaru rose slowly from the bedsheets that he was entangled in, cursing under his breath as a hangover hammered away at his skull. He had drunk - a lot - _that_ much he could remember. The alcohol had done wonders in staving off his anger, but the high was beginning to fade.

 _Haruhi._

He could not fathom what had brought the name to his mind, but now it was stuck there, and he was neither willing nor ready to face it yet. Kicking around some clothes on the floor, Hikaru was slow to recognize the setting, but when he did, he threw his head back and laughed. His first time, to some prostitute whose name he couldn't even remember! Flipping his bangs out of his eyes, he rummaged around the room until he found another drink. It was room temperature, having been left out overnight, but the burn was welcomed wholeheartedly, even if his eyes burned as he downed it entirely.

It seemed that all his rummaging around had caused his sleeping roommate to wake, because in the next moment he felt a naked chest pressing against his equally naked back, a sleepy "Why up so early?" following.

Hikaru ignored her, moving out of her grasp to search for some more bourbon.

"Hmm... How mean. Can't even give me a glance, even though you were so rough last night," the woman spoke with an audible pout in her voice, although, in Hikaru's opinion, it was ruined by its sultry timbre. And forget about her voice, he had no idea what she even looked like - for all he knew, he could've fucked a tranny!

Turning to face her - as she was, indeed, a woman - with disinterest, he observed that she was _sickeningly_ average, boring blue eyes ruined by her heavily caked-on makeup, black hair groomed to a dull pixie cut, and tattered seductive garb hanging lifelessly from her mostly shapeless form. _I couldn't have gone with a blonde?_ Hikaru crinkled his nose with disgust, to which the woman laughed obnoxiously.

"Don't like what you see?" She joked, putting her arms around him to unabashedly feel up his chest, which the ginger mostly ignored. As the fresh alcohol had yet to take effect, Hikaru was slowly coming to terms with his actions. He struggled not to gag at the woman's heavy perfume as he began to push her away a second time, before he caught a red blotch on her arm. Rubbing the sand out of his eyes in confusion, he turned in her grasp to face her again. To his horror, her body was adorned with many such markings, as well as an unsightly bruise on her cheek and another around her neck. His breathing sped up and he tried not to vomit as he stood up shakily. "What the fuck..." He muttered.

Perhaps recognizing his reaction, the woman smiled coyly at him. "That's okay, I like it rough..." Even meant as some gesture of comfort as it probably was, it only caused the twin the sink lower into self-loathing. Visibly shaking, Hikaru pointed towards the door. "Hey, don't be like that, I-"

" _Get out!_ " Hikaru cut her off angrily. Clearly seeing that negotiations were in no way possible, the woman's face dropped into a scowl.

"At least give me my money, you insufferable brat!" she yelled back, a clawed hand on her hip. Hikaru threw his wallet at her and she cursed, missing the catch and bending down to pick it up, along with the rest of her stuff.

Hikaru fidgeted anxiously as he watched her pick up some intimates and yelled at her again. She simply flipped him the bird, before striding out in indignation, colorful curses stringing behind her up until the moment Hikaru slammed the door. Fury still coursing through him, Hikaru threw the bottle he had in his hand and knocked over the nearest table. Unlike the bottle he had thrown, the vase on the table was plastic, so the noise it made upon falling didn't sate him in the least. Stepping over the spillage, he fisted his hair and screamed curse after curse until he came to a stop back in front of the door. Spent, he slid down the cheap wood, only now realizing the presence of tears on his cheeks. Failing to wipe them away faster than they fell made him stop, and he instead sunk his head, resting it on his knees. _What... did I just do?_ He didn't attempt to answer. He couldn't even remember what had happened, let alone what his state of mind had been at the time, the real goal of his question. All he had known was that he had done something terribly, terribly wrong.

And all he could do was cry.

. . .

 _Haruhi._

" _Haruhi._ " The brunette blinked as she tuned into the voice of her boyfriend.

"Yes, what's wrong?" She replied absently, irritation coloring her voice.

Mori looked down at her in worry. "You spaced out," he put it simply, leaving off the unspoken _again_. "Are you okay?"

Not facing him, Haruhi muttered unintelligible things under her breath, finishing off with a bland, "I'm just fine."

Now, while Mori had seen Haruhi mildly annoyed before, her present agitation was not something he had yet seen. Despite himself, the gentle giant shifted his weight in unrest as he tried to figure out what to do. He was almost afraid to touch her, for fear of her blowing up. As he walked alongside her unsurely, she suddenly came to a stop. He followed suit a pace in front of her and looked at her warily.

"Look, Mori-senpai, I'm not feral, you know?" She asked in exasperation.

 _I know_ , he thought, wondering if it would be right to say. He didn't get the chance to, though, as she sighed loudly in response to his silence.

"Okay, today was nice, but I'm just not feeling well. I'll be going back first, alright?" Her tone was clipped, and Mori recognized the feeling of regret immediately.

He reached toward her retreating back. "Haruhi-"

-and faltered when she turned to him with fire in her eyes. Moments later, she was gone.

. . .

She knew was being unreasonable and unrealistic, but she could hardly help it. In the span of a few days, she had experienced both the best and worst moments of her life. The flip was utterly confusing, and it had her rethinking if she was right to pursue relationships at all. In particular, romantic ones.

Eyes beginning to water, a sense of helplessness had just washed over her when a hand grabbed hers. She recognized it immediately as that of her boyfriend. Blinking rapidly, she started to pull away.

"Mori-senpai, I said-"

"-Takashi," he breathed, pulling her up against him, causing her to freeze.

"T-Ta-" She tried again, stuttering over his given name, but he pulled away suddenly, and she stopped in response. She then blushed as he bowed from the waist, garnering the attention of some passerby, much to her embarrassment.

"Haruhi, I'm sorry."

Her breath caught. _What am I doing?_ She knew how hard it was for him to speak, knew what she was getting into before they started dating, so what was she doing, getting mad at him over nothing? She shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I've not been... _fair_ to you at all. I'm so sorry." She looked down at her feet, only to raise her head to stare when she was enveloped in a warm embrace moments later.

"Mori-senpai, I-"

"Takashi."

"...T-Takashi...senp-"

"Haruhi." He looked at her. She averted her eyes, acutely aware of the probing gazes of sage elders and gossipy teens. Bumping her forehead against his chest so that he wouldn't see her, she whispered it.

"...Takashi."

He smiled.

. . .

 _Takashi._

"I don't know, I'm just... anxious, I guess," Haruhi muttered, staring at the intertwined hands on her lap. "I mean... What's going to happen to us?"

Takashi nodded, knowing that the _us_ she was talking about was bigger than just the two of them.

"And I just keep thinking... It's definitely my fault, right?"

Takashi's eyes widened as he turned to face his girlfriend. Her eyes were downcast, mouth twisted as if she had just eaten several sour plums all at once. _I should have known._ A sad smile swept across his features as he took her in his arms again. She liked to put on a strong front often, to appear aloof almost in the same way that Kyoya did, but she cared deeply about her friends, and the fighting was tearing her up from the inside out.

"No... no." He assured, as she stared, hard, at the wall across from her. "No." He said more firmly, saddened by the act she was determined to keep up and he to break down. "It's not a choice," he said, referring to the affection between them, but not quite ready to call it by name. "It finds you, whether you want it to, or not. They need to grow up." _And find someone to love, not to obsess over._

Haruhi began to shake at his words, giving him comfort in that he was able to reach her, even a little. A sad smile danced across his lips as she finally sagged in his arms, weeping silently.


	9. Hysterics

_Friday, September 12th_

 _. . ._

 _Haruhi._

The rain poured down in sheets, drenching Haruhi as soon as she left the shelter that the grocery store provided. She had left the house only to pick up some chocolate, ice cream, and painkillers, but had ended up taking a detour through the park for whatever reason. Unfortunately, it had allowed her mind to stray to the drama that had been taking place throughout the week.

The Club breaking up, Hikaru and Kaoru fighting, even her yelling at Mori—no, it was _Takashi_ now, wasn't it?

She smiled a bit at the thought of the sweet man. Haruhi appreciated the comfort her boyfriend was giving, she really did, but as much as she wanted to believe in his words, she couldn't help the little voice in the back of her mind screaming that this was all her fault.

Her mouth tipped downwards. _I mean, it has to be, right? Everything wouldn't have played out this wrongly if I hadn't opened my mouth._

HONK HONK!

The only things that prevented her from being run over were the truck driver's angry honks and the bright lights spurring her reflexes into action, sending her jumping back towards the pavement. The blood rushing in her ears muted the gasps from curious passerby until they deemed her too uninteresting to ogle at further, diverging around her apathetically.

As her heartbeat began to slow, Haruhi took a look around her surroundings, eyes poring over the faceless figures who ignored her to her groceries, splayed across the ground. The tub of ice cream had opened, and someone had carelessly stepped in it, glaring scornfully at their shoe and stomping away. The rest was strewn along the sidewalk, covered in the filth and mud that the rain and dirt had worked together to create. She, too, was knee-deep in the stuff, clothes, hands, and arms caked in a healthy layer of grime. Haruhi looked down at herself pitifully. And, for some inexplicable reason, began to cry.

Hardly aware of her actions, the brunette got up and ran.

 _Takashi._

The man stared at the sky in displeasure. Clicking onto the weather channel, he sighed in relief as the anchor relayed heavy rainfall, but no thunder. Even still, he picked up his phone to call Haruhi. _Couldn't hurt._

He waited for several rings before being connected to voicemail. Deciding that he had nothing so important to say as to waste space in her voicemail, Takashi hung up and texted her instead.

'Ready for tonight?'

Not expecting an immediate reply, he pocketed the device and laid back in his bed. Pulling out a bookmark from between weathered pages, Takashi smiled and began to read.

 _Haruhi._

Haruhi groggily opened her eyes as she came to. Looking at her surroundings revealed to her that she was at the park. Her brow furrowed, a headache impeding her processing speed, but the memories came back to her slowly.

Running from the corner store all the way to the park in her filthy attire, having a good cry, and then rinsing her clothes out in the sink of a public bathroom before retreating to the bench to think, and then falling asleep there. Haruhi sighed at the unlikely sequence of events, looking from the now clear sky to her still sopping attire. _That was dumb of me. I'm all out of sorts today._ Haruhi thought, the pain spreading to her temples. Sighing, she took out her phone.

Her lips tightened at the texts she received: one from Takashi, and the other from Tamaki.

Deciding to go with (what she presumed would be) the bad news first, Haruhi held her breath with much trepidation as she ventured to open Tamaki's text.

'Haruhi, I would like to formally apologize for the manner in which I have been acting the past few days. Hikaru and I would like to invite you to my home in order to better convey our feelings. Please reply at your earliest convenience, and I will send you a driver.'

Haruhi let out the breath she was holding in a rush of air. Her eyes dampened at the message. _I'm such an idiot... Overreacting over nothing._ It seemed that, despite the situation seeming overly complicated in the beginning, everything was going to be fine. _Honestly, when is anything not complicated with the Host Club?_ Haruhi couldn't have stopped the giddiness even if she tried.

Smiling, she moved on to Takashi's text.

'Ready for tonight?'

Haruhi's mouth twisted at the message, although its effect was dampened by the blush on her cheeks. How could she be acting so irresponsibly with such a thoughtful man behind her? She had been giving him so many mixed signals lately, any man would be sick of her by now. He really was too good to her. Sending her reply of affirmation, she looked up at the sound of a honk.

Ignoring the looks she got from random onlookers—something she was more or less used to, being friends with those damn rich bastards as she was—and hopped in, thanking the driver as he closed the door behind her. _I'll go to Tamaki's and fix my friendships. Then I'll enjoy tonight. I'll fix our relationship. And then I'll let him know that I..._ She covered her fiery face at the thought of the night ahead, smiling under all the heat. Leaning her cheek against the window, it felt as if all her problems were whizzing away with the scenery.

Haruhi made sure not to stare as the driver escorted her through grandiose gate after gate after gate (she had stopped counting after the third) until they reached the manor. The man knocked politely and was granted entry without a second's delay, guiding her through the grand living room to the second floor, where she saw a head of ginger hair looking down nervously and a blond mane mirroring his actions.

"Haruhi!"

The two yelled in sync, jumping up and moving as if to hug her, but stopping short as they unsurely looked towards her for approval.

"It's alright guys, we're still friends, aren't we?"

They needed no more confirmation than that, latching onto the brunette immediately. She hugged back, feeling happiest reunited with two of her closest friends. After they had separated, the three moved back to sit on the couches, Hikaru and Tamaki sitting across the table from Haruhi.

"Haruhi, I—" Hikaru started, a somber look upon his face.

Haruhi held up a hand to stop him. "Let's just enjoy dinner for now. Then we can talk."

Midway through, Tamaki stumbled upon a figurative box of memories, making for far better conversation than the news that they had been discussing.

Haruhi smiled so hard, her cheeks hurt. She laughed so much, her stomach ached. She felt so happy, her heart twisted anxiously. And then the last bite of food passed her lips. Conversation seemed to die slowly after that, much to her disappointment. Still, she pulled a smile to her face when Hikaru called her name.

"Haruhi... I'm _really_ sorry for how I acted. It was..." He stopped when the brunette put her hand on his shaking fists. Her eyes told him to calm down and to continue when he was ready, calm as ever. He bit his lip, muttering something under his breath that she did not hear. But it seemed that Tamaki did, and the teen stiffened considerably.

"Dearest Haruhi," he cut in. "I, too, must apologize for my ungentlemanly behavior. My language was boorish, panicked, and unclear. I am almost certain that my meaning was misunderstood."

Haruhi shifted at the words, a little uncomfortable. Misunderstood?

"As your father, I only wish to see the best for you. Now, while I am not particularly happy with you dating so young, I am not one hundred percent opposed to the idea, depending, of course, on the man in question. That being said, I am not happy with your current relationship. Please break up with Mori-senpai as soon as possible."

Haruhi's head swam as she processed the words. Hikaru threw a panic-stricken glance at his companion, who looked back as if to say, _everything is under control._ Upon seeing the look, Haruhi stood up in her chair, shaking her head in disbelief. "I... I can't believe this!" She moved to leave.

"Haruhi, wait!"

"Haruhi, if you would just listen—" the two spoke over each other, trying to gain her attention.

"If I would just _listen_? Absolutely not! I'm done listening to you two. No way." _Why won't you listen to me?_ Her heart screamed, her turning to face them with fury in her eyes.

"Because, Haruhi, Mori-senpai is not the right choice for you!" Tamaki flailed his arms as if she were a disobedient child being educated by her parent.

"And _who_ is? Let me guess, _you_?" When he faltered at the accusation, her eyes widened. She looked towards Hikaru and, upon seeing the sorrowful look on his features, she scoffed. "Oh my god, _really_? How conceited can you get?"

"Haruhi, please, I—"

She turned to see that Hikaru's expression had then changed to pleading and instantly lost it. "I can't believe you! You, who I thought was my friend! I can't believe that there are actually people who are so selfish!"

Hikaru's entire stature changed at these words. His back curled in defensiveness, and he stepped forward to tower over the brunette in a show of false superiority. " _I'm_ selfish?! _You're_ the one who just upped and abandoned us! Aren't we your friends? Don't _we_ deserve to know before you make huge decisions like this?"

Haruhi met his eye and laid down blow after blow with her sharp tongue. Tamaki's efforts to soothe her were fruitless; she was on a roll, and it wasn't looking like it was going to end any time soon. In fact, the words flew so quickly, no one participant could be entirely sure of which mouth they came from. They came in droves and in waves, and it seemed like the screaming would never stop.

 _I shouldn't be doing this_ , Haruhi thought, another blistering comment passing her lips. _I don't think I can fix this_ , she cried, continuing to shout. She felt like a passive observer in her own skin, her mouth curling distastefully around the words against her wishes.

Suddenly, it was quiet. Her mind just barely caught the chilling finality of the phrase that she had herself uttered and left to fester in the stagnant air. Her wide eyes panned over the equally stunned gazes of the two in front of her. They knew it just as well as she did: it was over.

Haruhi forced herself into action, jerkily collecting her bag and descending the stairs from which she came. She couldn't remember the last time she had put so much effort into trying to keep her breath steady. Out of nowhere, a hand clasped around her arm, holding on for dear life. Startled, she jerked back, only for one of her feet to slip from the stair that it had been resting on in her haste to escape.

The rest happened quickly.

She was falling. She fell. Pain. Colors. Noise.

Pain. Swirling. Yelling.

Pain. Shouting.

Pain.

 _Takashi_.

A man sat alone at a diner; a rose in his hand, a box in his lap. It was a gift. It was an apology. It was a plea.

The man stared at the clock, absently twirling the rose, as he had been doing for the past hour.

"Sir, would you like to order?"

The man was startled out of his thoughts before he turned to face the waitress.

"I'm waiting for someone. She should be here soon."

The waitress bowed respectfully as she walked away. The man turned stoically as he tried to ignore what her look meant. He stared as a couple walked past, the diner growing more and more quiet.

He twirled the rose, and he waited.


	10. Author's Note

**A/N: Man... I said no author's notes until the end, right? Oh, well. You'll have one in the middle.**

 **No, I'm not discontinuing the story, and no, I'm not going on hiatus. Just explaining my absence for the past few weeks before a bulk upload (three chapters!).**

 **Welp, I'm a high school senior, so COLLEGE.**

 **Also, church (Christmas preparation and stuffs).**

 **Finally, we got hit with a snowstorm and my internet's been pretty wonky since.**

 **That's your author's note. It wasn't too long. Enjoy the triple update!**

Posted: January 7, 2017

Updated: January 7, 2017

 _~Reginna Grace_


	11. Hysterics II

_Friday, September 12th_

 _Tamaki._

He stared. At the unmoving body at the base of the steps. _Haruhi..._ he wondered, _what are you doing down there?_ She didn't answer, but he smiled anyway. It figures that she was still angry with him—all daughters rebel against their fathers, after all! He made a move to get to her but was pushed back to reality by Hikaru, who was shaking his shoulders and crying. Sound rushed back to his brain, overflooding his ears with the sound of hoarse screaming.

"Tono, _stop!_ " Hikaru's voice was also hoarse. It sounded like he had been screaming for a while. "We have to do something!" Tamaki stared at the freshman. He looked down at Haruhi. _Wait..._ He struggled to piece together the situation, but the screaming was getting louder. Hikaru seemed to be getting more agitated, too. He could see his teeth grinding together behind his lips—

Oh.

 _Oh._

He fainted.

. . .

Tamaki's eyes flew open. His eyelashes were sticky, so he rubbed his eyes as he sat up. An arm rolled across the sheets, making contact with the arm he was using to prop himself up. He followed the appendage to matted brown hair, pale skin, and white bandages dotted with red.

"Haruhi!" He yelped, tears springing to his eyes. The events surrounding his faint came back in a rush, and he struggled to process the information, gaping at Haruhi's limp form. At his exclamation, excited footsteps sounded until a door was slammed, somewhere to his side.

"Tono—you're awake!"

"Hikaru..." He couldn't bring himself to speak, fat tears dripping down his face. He pointed at Haruhi helplessly.

The ginger cursed, running from the room and returning moments later with a basin of water and some more bandages. They were towels, Tamaki now saw, and the basin was a wooden bowl with an awkward oblong shape. When Hikaru lifted Haruhi's head, he saw that some blood had escaped onto the pillow she was resting on. When Hikaru had finished his makeshift job, he sat in a chair across from his friend.

"Tono... I don't know what to do," he confessed resisting the urge to run his blood-stained hands through his hair. "I think... I should call—"

"No!" Tamaki reacted strongly. "Don't call anyone!"

"We have to, we did something _bad_ , she could—" He refused to say the word, but Tamaki caught his implications anyway.

"No! No. She won't. She'll be fine. Listen, Hikaru, she'll be fine."

"But what if she's _not_ fine?! What if she's— if something's happening to her and we don't know and we think she's getting better and she's not and we think she's sleeping and she's _dying_ , and we don't—" Hikaru cradled his cheek in shock. Only three times in his life had he ever gotten hit: once by Haruhi, again by Kaoru a few days ago, and again now. Unable to form words, he stared at the blond, who now paced around the room anxiously.

"Hikaru, we can't let someone take her away." He stopped pacing and grasped his friend's shoulders. "We have to make things right by ourselves. We can nurse her back to health and make her happy and then she'll forgive us. Look, it's just a scratch, she's not even bleeding anymore! She'll be better soon!" Tamaki pointed out with a smile.

 _Hikaru_.

Tamaki didn't seem to notice his tears. The blond was preoccupied with going over ways to apologize and deciding how Haruhi'd react. He certainly didn't notice the inner turmoil that Hikaru was going through. Between his stinging cheek and the situation at hand, Hikaru could barely think.

If his cheek hurt so much, he could only imagine how Haruhi felt. Or would feel when she woke up. He almost threw up. _I'm so sorry!_ He wanted to tell her. He wanted to beg for her forgiveness. Instead, he just looked at his blond friend. Coincidentally, Tamaki finished his rambling just as Hikaru reached a decision.

"Okay."

 _Saturday, September 13th_

 _. . ._

 _Haruhi._

Haruhi forced her eyes open, recognizing the drunkenness of oversleep and hoping to prevent whatever disasters that usually came with it. Immediately, she recoiled from pain. It felt like she had gotten hit by a truck. Her stomach, her head, her arm; _everything_ hurt. She had to get some water for her parched throat, pills for her head, and then orient herself so she could figure out what to do with this pain!

Moving to prop herself up by reflex, it was a full second before the pain hit her. She screamed, falling back onto the sheets, the impact causing violent aftershocks that shook her to the core. _Am I dying?_ She wondered, trying to curl up but being ignored by her limbs in favor of erratic jerks of movement.

Her body alternated between flashes of cold and heat, and she writhed in place, trying to get her heavy silken prison off of her form. Her eyes becoming heavy, Haruhi thought she heard voices as something cool touched her head. She leaned into it, managing to keep her consciousness just long enough for her to request more of whatever was touching her then, before falling back into the bed with a choked cry.

. . .

When Haruhi awoke next, the pain was even worse than the last time. Blinking away dreams of a dark-haired man, she knew her voice was hoarse even before she opened her mouth to cry out. A forceful cough shook her frame, and she felt like her entire gut twisted with the motion, as if someone had reached in and squeezed her organs like they were trying to wring out a wet blanket.

When she coughed again, she found that her head was stopped by something in front of it. Warm droplets of something rich fell onto her lips, but her stomach would not have it. Bile immediately shot up, and her body convulsed to facilitate its exit. Her throat burned at this, but the acid made a 180 and fell back into her stomach. She spat out the sour taste before falling back to her bed, completely spent from all the movement. Her eyes closed easily.

. . .

Haruhi's eyes flew open. The flash that cut through the gaping darkness told her that there was a nighttime thunderstorm, but something much worse alarmed her. A sense of hysteria took over her, as if something was rising in her chest infinitely, or like she was ballooning up. Her body rapidly passed through flashes of hot and cold, both equally intense. _What is happening to me?_ She tried not to cry as she choked and convulsed. Her body was mostly numb, but she could feel her extremities shaking.

Her field of vision changed suddenly when she fell off the bed. Wrapped in a cocoon of heat, she felt the shaking die down, but it was replaced with an explosion of pain. This time, she couldn't help the scream that she let out. She was more than exhausted, but her body would not let her rest, and another fit of shaking interrupted the pain.

Finally, she felt her consciousness begin to fail, the overactivity proving too much for her brain to handle. She welcomed the darkness.

. . .

 _Tuesday, September 16th_

 _. . ._

 _Kyoya._

Kyoya stepped into his best friend's home cautiously. He had seen neither tail nor hide of the blond since he broke things off last week. He had been impressed with how quickly Tamaki had stopped blowing up his phone, and had quickly moved his attention to school, his first priority. The Host Club was completely dissolved and, while the others had formed small groups, Kyoya had alienated himself entirely, making for himself a small island upon which he could gather his thoughts. And, it seemed, from within their own groups, everyone had been doing the same.

But that didn't stop him from keeping tabs on those whom he had once considered his closest friends. The only ones who had even attended school that day and the one before it, in fact, were Honey and himself. He had been growing curious. He had certainly _not_ been expecting a call from Tamaki, however, whom he had thought would still be mourning.

He stopped several meters from him. The Ouran student was completely disheveled. His hair was matted, cheeks pale, and outfit filthy with a browned liquid; he was completely unlike the Hikaru Hitachiin he knew. He saw many emotions in Hikaru's eyes. He saw fear, worry, and anger. He saw something he had never seen before on the twin's face, and he knew. Something was very wrong.

So when he turned to run, Kyoya followed him.

If Kyoya thought he was shocked before, then it was _nothing_ compared to what he felt now. When he walked through the door he was led to, he met eyes with his best friend's desperate gaze. He was curled over a bed, over Haruhi's grotesque form. The small girl tremored with a force that she couldn't control. Kyoya pushed Tamaki off without thinking, assessing the girl as quickly as he could. She had a towel pressed to her head, dried blood tainting the white fibers. Her shoulder was obviously dislocated, and his brain cooked up multiple reasons for the bulge in her pelvic region. While the only blood came from her head, bumps around her body suggested more subtle injuries. Kyoya's phone was by his ear in an instant, but it was quickly grabbed away.

"Tamaki, what the _hell_ are you doing?" Kyoya bit.

" _Mon_ ami _,_ we have everything under control—she will be—" Hikaru tackled him.

Pushing down suprise at how quickly Hikaru had turned on his accomplice— _well, the twin had called him_ —Kyoya caught the phone that was thrown his way and, ignoring the blond's crying, called an emergency number he hadn't touched in years: his older brother's. He couldn't risk his father finding out about the situation, after all, lest he use it as something to lord over him.

"Akito, there's been an emergency," he said once the phone clicked, beginning to detail the situation. "I don't care _what_ you have to do, just get here." He delved into the situation headfirst, starting with what seemed to be the worst injuries. _Single head laceration with possibility of brain damage, dislocated shoulder, bruised knees..._ "Did she fall?"

Hikaru blubbered a series of excuses, but Kyoya ignored everything after his initial affirmation, continuing to feed a steady stream of information into the phone. _She likely has a bruised bone, may need a blood transfusion, and..._ Kyoya hesitated.

"Assess for sexual assault."

. . .

 _Hikaru_.

They had come and gone quickly, taking Haruhi away from them before he could even blink.

Kyoya came and revealed that the situation was much more severe than either he or Tamaki had assumed. In the shock of the moment, he had let go of Tamaki, who made for Kyoya without pause, tackling him. Then, a man swathed in a cocoon of paramedics and bodyguards had come, taken one glance at the situation, and tried to arrest them both. But Kyoya had saved them. Or saved them for himself, rather. _I'll deal with them myself,_ he had said, imprisoning the two inside Tamaki's home with a few choice words.

Tamaki had been—was still—ballistic, and he screamed for several minutes straight before turning on Hikaru himself. He could only stare blankly as the blond shook him, the nightmarish vision of Haruhi's broken form flashing behind his eyelids.

And cry.


	12. Dissolution II

_Tuesday, September 16th_

 _. . ._

 _Kyoya._

The man was unreadable.

Which should've come as no surprise; he had always been a man of few words. But as Kyoya stared at the back of the gentle giant in front of him, it was almost _scary_ how little emotion he showed. His back wasn't tense with anticipation, nor his lips pressed with anger, nor his brow creased with worry. It was like there was a perfect nothingness that took over the man. _He doesn't know what to expect,_ Kyoya knew. When he had called him to a meeting under the premise of 'urgent information regarding Haruhi,' he had tried to be as vague as possible—but his tone had been indicative of nothing but bad news.

When the two entered the room, Kyoya realized that it was not the same as when he had left it. It had been cleaned hastily: the bloodied pillows were nowhere to be found, the bed was tidied up as best as two sheltered children of wealth could get it, and the previously drawn curtains had since been parted.

Tamaki stood wringing his hands by the windowsill, and Hikaru sat in a chair by the bed, head in hands. Both turned to him in alarm once the door opened. While the latter Host shrunk back in terror upon seeing his companion, Tamaki's frame shook with anger, and he pointed at the man. Both Kyoya and Hikaru moved to intercede if necessary, but he was able to reign himself in, unclear emotions clouding his eyes.

Takashi took in this exchange silently, and remained silent for some time after, such that the room's other occupants, save Kyoya, flinched when he finally did raise his voice.

"Where is Haruhi?"

Knowing that Tamaki would not answer, Hikaru stalled. The emotion in the man's words choked him, reminded him of what he had done, how he had _robbed_ this man. He didn't know what he had been hoping for from Haruhi—forgiveness?—but it all seemed so distant now. He couldn't take it anymore; he just wanted to be done with it all.

"In the hospital, probably." His voice sounded like crap. He had been overusing it lately, and the crying didn't help.

. . .

 _Takashi_.

The man shook with indecision. _I want to see her,_ his heart whined, starved of the sight of her cinnamon locks bobbing as they walked side-by-side. Forcing a sense of calm into his system, he stopped himself from turning back. _I have to know what went on in here._

"Why?"

A long pause preceded Hikaru's response, a patchwork of excuses that feebly hid what both of them knew—everyone in the room knew—he really wanted. His eyebrows drew back in anger as pieces of the story fell together. _Wanted to apologize—fell down the stairs—didn't look too bad—for her own good—patch her up ourselves—apologize again—_

Takashi turned and left.

From outside, he used the wall to support his sagging weight as he held his head in his hands. _I can't believe_ —he thought to his misery when he sat alone at the restaurant where they had agreed to meet. _Haruhi is not a person who would just do that!_ He thought to his cousin's words when he heard Haruhi and Kaoru talking in the infirmary— _you have to trust her, Takashi._ He knew he was right, and yet, _why couldn't I trust her enough to know that something was wrong?_

He heard them begin to fight. He heard Tamaki insist that it wasn't supposed to be like this, and that they just wanted to apologize. He heard Hikaru apologize over and over and he heard Kyoya holding him back from reaching him. He heard the door slam closed and the footsteps that approached him.

 _There can be no relationship without trust,_ he had once heard Kyoya mutter under his breath, almost in premonition of the club's demise.

Face pale with self-admonishment, he looked up at Kyoya, who had silently watched his reaction with eyes hidden. _I have to apologize._ "Take me to her."

Kyoya nodded. "The car is outside."

. . .

He was brought to a waiting room where he saw a familiar face. If the redhead heard him enter, he gave no indication. Ranka's head was buried in his hands and he was dressed up in his work clothes.

Takashi took a seat a few spaces away, far enough to allow the man his privacy, but still close enough to offer his support. Expecting to wait in silence for the foreseeable future, Takashi finally leaned back into the seat, having slowly been drained by the day's events. As the minutes ticked away, he berated his rashness at having left without hearing the full story. _I probably won't even be allowed to see her,_ he lamented.

 _I can't believe this._

"It's reassuring to know that you care about my daughter enough to be driven to tears," Ranka spoke, pulling Takashi out of his mind. He was surprised to see that the man was right; he had been too absorbed in his thoughts to notice the tears that had begun leaving tracks on his cheeks.

Surprised and a little embarrassed, he greeted the man whose whimsicality he had yet to fully understand. Even now, he could not fathom the smile on the same face that had been grieving mere moments ago.

"Takashi-kun," his features softened to match his tone as he said the name. "Thank you for always taking care of my daughter."

The gratitude in the man's voice shook Takashi to the core. _No... I haven't been taking care of her at all._ As much as he didn't want to make light of Ranka's sincerity, Takashi began to shake his head. Maybe if he had trusted her more, this would've played out differently. He couldn't even trust her, after all. _There was so much more I could've done to_ —

"There was nothing you could've done."

His head snapped up to meet Ranka's at ease gaze. How could he say so with so much certainty? He didn't know how dysfunctional a character he was. Surely, if he did, he wouldn't have allowed him to court his daughter in the first place. He tore away from the uncomfortable gaze.

"Takashi-kun, she was away from us for only a few days. Don't you think that she can take care of herself?"

"...Mm." He grunted as he waited for Ranka's parental logic to make sense in his mind.

"So did I. And I still do, in fact. I have full faith that, if it was any other day, she would've gone about it the same way, and come home safely. It's not her fault, and it's not yours." His voice cracked, interrupting his speech, to which he laughed, Takashi's attention returning to him. "Aw, I was so close to finishing, too."

 _Do you think that you are the only one who feels guilty?_ He thought, staring at the tears that dripped from the redhead's cheeks. _But... He couldn't have done anything._

 _And neither could you._

He threw himself to the floor once the thought hit him, feeling infinitely guilty for forcing Ranka to comfort him when he was probably feeling even more pain than he was at his own inability to help the broken girl inside the emergency room. With a graciousness that seemed too inhuman for any one person to possess, Ranka bent down to ruffle his hair.

And they cried.


End file.
